The Rangers currently have five defensemen under the age of
28 on their roster and two more top prospects on the way, so it’s very likely
New York will be looking to add some offensive firepower with its first-round
pick, No. 15 overall in the NHL Draft.

Between now and June 24th, we’ll take a look at some of the
forwards that the Rangers might be thinking about taking on draft
day. Today, we look at…

THN – "Here’s one scout describing Sven Bartschi’s NHL
prospects: ‘Put it this way,’ he said, ‘I don’t think he’ll be doing any
yodeling anytime soon.’Which means the
native of Switzerland is in North America to stay.Instead playing in his home pro league, Bartschi followed countryman and
2010 first round choice Nino Niederreiter to the Western League’s Portland
Winterhawks.‘If someone didn’t tell you
he was from Switzerland,
you wouldn’t know,’ another scout said.‘He’s not a big kid, but he had a lot of talent.’Perhaps it’s because old habits die hard with
NHL scouts when it comes to skaters from Switzerland, but some acknowledge they
are looking for flaws in his game and often come away empty-handed.He most certainly has high-end skills and
matches that with a determination to succeed in what is a very tough junior
league.‘He’s got great hands, great
vision and great hockey sense,’ a scout said."

The Scouting Report – "Bartschi came into the season as a fairly unknown prospect,
but quickly established himself as a high scorer for the Portland Winterhawks.
Bartschi has excellent hands and goes to the traffic areas to create offense,
and has excellent vision on the ice. There are question marks about his two-way
play, however Bartschi only improved as the season went along, quickly creating
a name for himself as an elite level winger in the Western Hockey League while
being a major offensive contributor for the Hawks; continuing his solid play
well into the WHL playoffs."

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch – “Swiss forward and 34-goal scorer
has a wicked shot (rapid release and powerful, accurate drive) and elite
offensive instincts. He formed a highly effective trio with fellow draft
candidate Rattie and Cunningham when the latter came over from Vancouver at mid-season. Not an explosive
speedster, but knows how to get from point A to B. Played a more effective game
in junior this season than he did at the WJC. Solid kid and easygoing
personality, but could stand to pick up the work ethic at times. Highly skilled
winger will likely be a top-15 pick, but he's a finesse guy who could stand to
take the puck to the net more than he does. Bartschi is deadly with that drive
of his, but it's tough to score from the outside consistently at the NHL level,
no matter how much pop you have on your stick.”

Corey Pronman - "Sven Bartschi was one of this year's biggest risers with his
performance for the WHL powerhouse Portland Winterhawks. He shows several
desirable tools, especially in the finesse department. Sven is a solid skater
who can get to full speed very quickly and while his top speed is good and he
has turned around several WHL defenders, he doesn't consistently maintain an
above-average level. His agility is good and he can really make people miss, be
it from a standstill or while rushing the puck up the ice. Bartschi has very
loose hands that allow him to make rapid moves with the puck and his while I
grade his puck skills as above-average, he does flash ability beyond that. His
wrist and slap shots are both desirable weapons, the latter of which flashes
plus velocity and he can consistently score from beyond the crease area. His
physical game is fringe but does show a notable work ethic along the walls but
at the moment is nowhere near strong enough to be an effective physical pro. In
regards to his hockey IQ, Sven is regularly trusted with PK duties due to his
good anticipation, positioning and stick work. Offensively, he has good vision
with the puck, although there are times he tries to go beyond his means with
the stick-handling. The skill set is there for him to be a scoring forward with
most tools being above-average or around that if he can overcome the physical
hurdle which at this point is below fringe level."

The Hockey Writers – “Sven brings a good combination of
speed and physical ability to the Portland Winterhawks. Most of his goal
scoring chances are created by his speed, or his hard work. His size
unfortunately could hinder him along the boards and working behind the net in a
more physical league. The biggest issue most scouts are having with him
however, is his overall offensive ability. Does he have the ability to be a top
line forward? Or will he be a boarder-line top six guy?In his first year playing for Portland, Bartschi posted
34 goals and 51 assists, a total of 85 points… in just 66 games. He also
finished with a very impressive plus/minus rating of plus 23.The skill to be a very solid NHL player is
there. Nobody doubts that. But he will need to show that he can be a game
changer every single night, or teams will go for less safe picks, players that
could be elite, or franchise players.Bartschi
makes for a very safe pick, because of his specific skill set. He has high
top-end speed, and knows how to use his body. Unfortunately, standing at just
5’10” and 185 pounds, Sven’s size may hold him back from being that strong
physical presence on the ice. He is not afraid to throw his body around, but
until he starts playing with fully developed men in the American Hockey League,
or the National Hockey League, it will be hard to tell if his size will be an
issue.”

Jess Rubenstein – “Bartschi is a lot like Ryan Callahan but
with more natural talent. Kid has been a huge playoff performer with 10 goals
in the playoffs (5 in the finals)”

Thoughts: Bartschi has been a late riser with his tremendous
playoff performance.Much like his
Portland Winterhawk teammate Ryan Johansen last year, Bartschi’s final ranks
might not be reflective of how NHL teams feel about him.It seems that he has really surged late in
the year, and it’s highly unlikely he’ll be there when the Rangers pick at
#15.The Blueshirts might be interested
in trading up if there’s an offensive player they covet, and Bartschi’s
reputation for giving his best effort would fit in well with New York.

The Rangers used their first-round pick on Dylan McIlrath
from the WHL last year.